Phoenix Park - Definition and Overview

The Phoenix Park (in Irish, Páirc an Fhionn-Uisce) is a large park near the outskirts of Dublin City, Ireland. It is the largest urban enclosed park in Europe at 1752 acres (7 km²).

The park contains the residences of both the President of Ireland (Áras an Uachtaráin) and the United States ambassador to Ireland (Deerfield Residence). The headquarters of the Irish national police force, An Garda Síochána, is located in the park, as is the State Guest House, Farmleigh. The park contains Dublin Zoo, several sportsgrounds including cricket and polo, the Wellington Monument, a 205 foot (62m) tall obelisk memorial for the Duke of Wellington and the Papal Cross. The cross was erected in the park for the visit of Pope John Paul II in 1979. An estimated million people attended an open air mass in the park at the time.

The name is a corruption of the Irish fionn uisce meaning "clear water". The park featured prominently in James Joyce's novel, Finnegans Wake. It is occasionally used for open-air concerts and the annual Phoenix Park Motor Races.

See also

• Phoenix Park Murders

External link

• A history of the Phoenix Park (http://indigo.ie/~kfinlay/Chart/chart17.html), written in 1907.